r<'p‘ember 20, 1894 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
283 
a firm bed of exhausted heating material, and this, as well as brick pits 
if these are used, should be partially filled with more of the same, 
with a view to bringing the soil and cuttings well up to the light. 
Place about 6 inches of light soil on the manure, and on that 2 inches 
of sifted loam and leaf soil with sharp sand added, making all firm and 
level and facing over with sand. Select the more firm, short-jointed, 
flowerless shoots for making into cuttings, shorten these to the third 
joint, and cut off the lower pair of leaves. As fast as they are made 
dibble them in 3 inches or rather less apart each way. Give a gentle 
watering, put on the lights, and keep somewhat close and shaded from 
bright sunshine till it is seen they will do very well without shade. 
Towards the end of November give air freely, as they must not be 
coddled, and protect from severe frosts only. Small numbers may be 
rooted either in hand-lights or else in boxes placed in cold frames. 
Violas.— This has been a good season for Violas, and cuttings are 
fairly plentiful. It is the young plants raised from cuttings and planted 
early next season in good fresh soil that give the best results, and 
abundance should be raised every autumn, at the same time and under 
much the same conditions as found to answer well in the case of 
Calceolarias. The flowering tops will root and also form fresh growths 
from the base next spring, but the preference ought always to be given 
to the young flowerless shoots that spring from the centre of each plant 
at this time of year or a little later. The cuttings may be disposed 
rather thickly, as they can be further prepared in nursery beds early 
next spring. While they are rooting treat similarly to Calceolarias and 
give abundance of air afterwards. 
Begronlas. —The tuberous-rooted section flower grandly in the 
autumn, fogs and rainfall not greatly affecting them; but they ought 
to be roughly matted over whenever frosts are imminent. They will 
transplant if not now in a crowded state, and would flower a short time 
longer under glass, but soon cease flowering after frosty weather sets in. 
Not so the fibrous-rooted species, and the semperflorens family would 
lift readily and flower freely all the winter. After frosts have crippled 
the tuberous-rooted varieties, lift them with a little soil about the roots 
and dry thoroughly in open sheds or cool dry houses. Later on remove 
the dead tops and a little more of the soil, after which the tubers may 
be stored in a cool shed or room, and further protected from severe 
frosts. Let the small seedlings in pans and boxes die down naturally, 
store where frosts cannot hurt them, and do not disturb them till next 
spring. 
THE KITCHEN GARDEN. 
Onions. —Tripolis raised last autumn have matured veiy satis¬ 
factorily, and if properly harvested and stored thinly in a cool dry place 
should keep till December. White Spanish types where sown on rich, 
somewhat loose ground in the spring are late in maturing, and more 
than usual have failed to bulb properly. Where the spring-sown Onions 
were largely transplanted, and in particular when first raised under 
glass, fine bulbs are matured. Directly the tops die down and the roots 
part freely from the soil Onions are ready for drawing, and will be 
injured if left on the ground any longer. They cannot be too thoroughly 
dried. Store thinly in a dry shed, and bunch them during wet weather. 
They keep best suspended in a cool airy place. Those that have failed 
to bulb will not keep under any conditions, and should be used this 
autumn. 
Cabbages. —Ground newly cleared of Onions suits Cabbages admir¬ 
ably. There will be no necessity to either manure or dig the ground. 
A firm root run promotes a sturdy growth, the plants hearting quickly 
without forming an excess of wasteful outside leaves. All that is 
necessary is to loosen the surface with Dutch hoes, rake off weeds and 
rubbish, and then draw shallow drills for the plants. Some seasons it is 
advisable to both water the seed beds a few hours prior to drawing the 
plants and also to well soak the drills with water before dibbing in the 
plants, but this will not be necessary in many instances this autumn, 
if some other site is chosen let the ground be sufficiently fertile and 
firm. Varieties of a neat habit of growth, notably Ellam’s Early 
Spring, Wheeler’s Imperial, All Heart, Veitch’s Earliest of All, and 
Matchless, may well be planted 15 inches apart; but the rows of the 
stronger growers, such as Heartwell Marrow, Battersea, Enfield Market, 
and Main Crop, should be nearer 2 feet apart, 15 inches asunder in the 
rows answering well, as very large hearts are undesirable. When 
plants are raised thinly in the seed bed, as they should be, they need not 
be disturbed till large enough to move direct to the ground where they 
are to remain. Leave the smaller plants in the seed beds. These will 
be useful next spring. Where ambury or club-root has to be contended 
with use soot freely on the seed bed, and also by way of a top-dressing 
prior to planting, and further draw the roots of the plants through a 
puddle formed of clayey water and soot. If any of the plants are 
already galled at the roots either burn at once or else cut off the 
•excrescence containing the maggot, and then draw through the puddle. 
Potatoes. —Disease is very prevalent, and the numbers of sound 
tubers stored this season will be much under the average. Only the very 
latest to mature, these including Scotch Champion, The Bruce, 
Imperator, Reward, Abundance and Reading Giant, are still growing 
strongly, and as these are also comparative diseaie resisters they may 
well be left undug for a few weeks longer. Most of the others have 
died down, but if the haulm is still somewhat fresh this ought to be 
drawn and burnt, weeds sharing the same fate. Dry weather should be 
waited for before lifting, which will perhaps save much trouble later on. 
At present it would be a difficult matter to decide which tubers are 
diseased and which not, and these already stored may yet prove to be 
half diseased, and the tubers dried in a cool shed. Not till the skins 
are thoroughly hardened are they disease-proof. According as the 
lifting proceeds sort over the crop, the small tubers to go to the pigs, 
medium sized ones being saved for planting purposes, and the large 
or “ware” tubers be stored in a cool, dark place. If all are stored 
together till wet weather gives leisure time to sort over, the chances are 
most of the seed tubers will be spoilt by premature sprouting. This 
latter occurrence will not take place if they are at once stored thinly in 
a cool, light shed and only further protected whenever severe frosts are 
imminent. Attend first to Ashleaf and other early varieties, all of 
which frequently start growing early in the autumn when stored in 
heaps and comparatively warm, dark quarters ; the former in particular 
ought to be stored closely together in single layers, growing end upper¬ 
most, in shallow trays or baskets, and not be darkened more than 
absolutely necessary. 
Tomatoes. —There is less disease on these than might reasonably 
have been anticipated, and though late, the crops are by no means 
light. Very little further progress will be made if the green fruit is 
left on the plants. All that are on the point of colouring may be cut 
and suspended in a warm dry house, or even in a kitchen, where they 
will colour gradually. Plants in full bearing can be lifted, the soil 
being throughly moist, and at once placed in shallow boxes or well 
drained wide-topped pots. If handled two or three times nearly all the 
soil falls away from the roots. Use rather rich soil, and pack this 
moderately firmly only about the roots. Place under glass at once, and 
shade from bright sunshine, but avoid the maintenance of a heated, 
moist atmosphere, as this will quickly be followed by either the spread 
of disease already on the plants, or a fresh attack. A warm and airy 
house is what suits Tomatoes and checks the spread of disease. 
Protectlngr Vegetables. —Frosts have already damaged Runner 
and Kidney Beans in low-lying districts, and a return to frosty weather 
need not surprise anyone after this date. It sometimes happens that a 
little temporary shelter afforded the Beans mentioned, late Peas, 
Vegetable Marrows, and Globe Artichokes during September, has led to 
their prolonged usefulness till November. It is a rather difficult matter 
to protect tall rows of Peas and Beans, but dwarf rows of the former, 
stopped, unstaked, Runner Beans and Kidney Beans can easily be 
malted over, or even roughly protected with leafy branches of trees. 
Temporary frameworks to support mats might also be erected over 
Vegetable Marrows, and even Globe Artichokes ; the latter, in many 
instances, paying well for this trouble, as they are in great demand in 
some establishments. Whatever protective material is used should be 
taken off every morning (Sundays may be excepted) and replaced in the 
evening, and ought to be persevered with, both as benefiting the crops, 
and also because one omission to cover might end disastrously. 
APIARIAN NOTES. 
The Weather and Honey Gathering. 
So far as the year has gone it is continuing to be a counterpart 
of 1844. la that year the warmest day of the fine weather occurred 
on September 15th. The 13th of the present month was the finest 
we have had, and the 14th is as promising. The 8th was hazy 
with a strong northerly wind, and the cold was intense. On the 
9th and the lOth there was 1° and 10° of frost respectively. My 
test hive increased 9 lbs. on the first day, and on the second 6 lbs. 
On the 11th mist covered the hills, and was a blank with the bees, 
although it was warm. On the 12th and the 13 ch the hive gained 
5 lbs. daily. These two dates were the first full days the bees had, and 
the first day any attempts were made to enter empty supers. Wax 
secretion for comb-building takes place only when it is warm with 
abundance of honey carried in. Although supers are as yet few I 
have some heavy hives, more so than in 1893. 
Managing Bees. 
Referring to “ A Young Scribe’s” reply (page 236), it appears 
after all that Mr. Summers’ plan does not differ from one of the 
plans I have more than once described in these pages. Several 
times I have given instructions how to get supers by reducing 
rational full-sized hives. When writing on any subject we should 
be careful to understand it and avoid partisanship. The paragraph 
of “A Young Scribe ” was small, but to me and others very 
significant. Many so-called original systems first appeared in the 
Journal of Horticulture. 
As “ A Young Scribe’s ” thinking has been published I trust the 
editor will not deny me the same privilege. I thought, and still 
think, that his paragraph at page 112 had a motive to disparage the 
instructions on bee husbandry which appear in these columns. I 
will take the present Heather season as my criterion. Here is a 
Punic hive (and I have fifteen of them) that started at 80 lbs. and 
